Roller copying-press.



E. LICHTENSTEIN.

ROLLER COPYING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED nc.30.1915.

Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

3 SHEETS--SHE ET I.

l/mundb/chiavsta /n Eve/7810f g) 7 fiifiom @f E LICHTENSTEIN.

ROLLER COPYING PRESS,

APPLICATION FILED nmso. 1915.

15%4K296 Patented Nov. 20, 1917 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. LICHTENSTEIN.

ROLLER COPYING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED nc.30. 1915.

1 ag fiv Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET '3- UNITED %TATF@ nor/rune ticnrnnsrnin, orcnantorrlinnuae, GERMANY,

ROLLER comma-eases.

Application filed December 30, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EnMUNn LICHTEN- STEIN, asubjee't of the German Emperor, residing at Gharlottenburg, near Berlin,Germany, Dahlmannstrasse 9, hate invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Roller Copying-Presses, of which the following is aspecification.

In roller presses for copying letters and the like it is absolutelynecessary to release the compression of the rollers after the operationof the machine has ceased to avoid adhesion of the copying paper to therollers and the damaging of the soft rubber mantles of the rollers.I-Ieretofore the release of the compression of the rollers could only beeffected by a special operation and was therefore often overlooked,thereby causing injury to the machine and interfering with the operationthereof.

According to the present invention this disadvantage is removed owing tothe fact that at the cessation of operation of the machine the releaseof compression of the rollers is effected automatically.

In a very simple way this can be made by advancing or retarding thedriving means, viz: giving thereto a lost motion relative to the workingrollers or copying rollers of the machine This part of the drivingmotion can then be used for the release of the compression of theworking rollers.

In copying machines it is already known to connect with the drivingmeans a tension device which as the machine starts automatically pressesthe working rollers against each other. According to a modification ofthe invention such a tension device is used for effecting the release ofpressure after the operation has ceased. This is effected by making theabutment taking up the re-action of the force compressing the rollersautomatically inoperative, after the operation of the machine hasceased.

In a preferred modification of the invention the tension devicecomprises a system of planetary gear-wheels, the middle wheel of whichis retained during the operation of compressing the rollers by thefrictional resistance of the machine or by a brake or a locking device,and is automatically released, after the rollers have been compressed bythe planetary part of the system and an auxiliary force for thereleasing of the rollers has been accumulated.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. 'atented Nov. 2t), 191?.

Serial No. 69,468.

In the drawing three modifications of the object of the invention areshown.

Figure l is a side-view of a machine with a planetary system, some partsbeing shown in section and some parts being omitted for the sake ofclearness,

Fig. 1 is a plan thereof in an enlarged scale,

Fig. 2' is a side-view of a machine in. which the tension device usedheretofore in some machines for the compression of the rollers, is usedfor the release of compression of the rollers,

Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 1 is a side-view of a machine with a brake which retards therelease of compres- S1011, 7

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional side-views of the main parts of a machine,whereof the rollers are compressed and relieved from compression withoutthe use of any special mechanism.

The working rollers of the machine are termed 1, 2 and 3. The operationof such a machine is known to the man skilled in the art and istherefore not described here. The roller 3 is supported on the shaft oraxle a mounted in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine. At eachend of the shaft 41 a lever 5 is arranged which can swing about theshaft 4. At the ends of the levers 5 is supported the shaft or axle 6supporting the roller .2. By the tension of spring 7 the roller 2 ispressed against the roller 1. The axle 8 of the roller 1 is in contactwith the rigid abutment 9 but movable with respect thereto, so that thepressure from the roller 1 is transferred to the roller 3.

The lever 10 whose eccentric cam 11 engages with an abutment 12 securelyfixed to the frame of the machine, is rotatable about the axle 6. To thelower end of the lever 10 is connected a tension spring 13, whose otherend is connected to the frame of the ma chine, so that the spring alwaystends to draw the lower end of the lever 10 toward the roller 3, that isto the left in Fig. 1. Above the tension spring 13 a link 14 ispivotally connected to the lever 10, the other end of said link beingpivotally connected to a lever 15, which is rotatable about the axle 4.

-A driving crank 17 rigidly connected with the gear-wheel 18 issupported in the frame of the machine and is rotatable about the axle orrod 16. Saidgear-wheel 18 meshes in the large gear-wheel 19 which isrotatable about the axle 4. In gear-wheel 19 also meshes a planetarygear-wheel 20 supported by the enlarged end 22 of the lever by meansofpivot 21, lever 15 being rotatable about the axle 4. The gear-wheel iswider than the gear-wheel 19 and the part thereof which projects beyondthe gearwheel 19 engages with the gear-wheel 23 which is also supportedby the part 22. The wheel 23 meshes in the gear-wheel 2 1 firmly securedto the axle 4. The device operates as follows:

When the crank 17 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the looseintermediate gear 19 is rotated in a counterclock-wise direction bymeans of the gear wheel 18. The gearwheel 20 is thereby rotated in aclock-wise direction and by means thereof the gearwheel 23 is rotated ina counterclock-wise direction. The gear-wheel 24: being rctained by theresistance of the working rollers against rotation, the gear-wheel 23has a planetary motion on the gear -wheel 24 which wheel in this motionacts as the stationary middle-wheel of the planetary systern. By thismotion the gear-wheel 23 travels in 'a counterclock-wise direction (tothe left in Fig. 1) together with the whole arm 22 until the latterabuts against the stationary stop 25. This movement of the arm 22 causesthe link 14: and the lower end of the lever 10 to move to the other side(to the right hand), whereby the spring 13 is stretched. At the sametime the cam 11 moves on its counterpart or abutment 12 in such a mannerthat the part of its'circumference nearest to the axle 6 engages theabutment 12. The lever 5 and the roller 2 are in consequence of theabove drawn upward by the tension of spring 7 and the rollers 1, 2 and 3are pressed against each other as described above.

As soon as the hand of the operator leaves the crank 17, the lever 10 isdrawn backward (to the left) by the spring 13, so that the upper part ofthe cam 11 engages the abutment 12 which releases compression of therollers 1, 2 and 3. At the same time the lever 15 is pressed backward(to the left) by the link lt and inFig. 1.

29 (indicated by dotted lines in- Fig. 3). The lever supportingthesegment 27 has a portion 31 rojecting behind the hub 32 of the crank 17.The stationary'axle 16 of the latter is surrounded by a tube 33 which issecurely fixed to the gear-wheel 18 and is therefore freely rotatableabout the axle 16. The tube 33 is provided with an obliquely inclinedslot 34 in which engages, a pin 35 securely fixedto the hub 32 of thecrank 17. The crank 17 with its hub 32 is slidable'on the axle 16 and onthe tube 33 against the pressure of the spring 36. Q

This modification operates as follows If the crank 17 is rotated in aclock-wise direction the pin 35 moves at first along the slot 34, sothat the hub 32 with the crank 17 travels axially away from thegear-wheel 18 which motion compresses spring 36. The toothed lockingsegment 27 acted upon by 7 spring 29 follows the hub 32 and engages thelocking tooth 30. As thepin 35 reaches the outer (right hand) end of theslot 34, the relative rotation of the crank 17 against the gear-wheel 18ceases. This gear-wheel is then rotated and thereby causes theworkingrollers 1, 2 and 3 to rotate. By means of the lever 26 theserollers are'compressed in a manner which is known and is therefore notdescribed herein. During this compression the locking tooth 30 slidesover the inclined back-faces of the teeth of the segment 27, thuscompressing the pressurespring 37. After the rollers are suflicientlycompressed, the tooth 30 is locked by the steep front face of thelocking tooth just above tooth 30 in the corresponding groove betweenthe teeth of the segment 27. There-.

upon the machine operates as an ordinary f copying machine. 7

When released the crank 17 is pressed backward '(to the left) by thespring 36 whereby the segment 27 is moved by means of the projection 31away from the lever 26 and the locking tooth 30 against the, tension ofthe spring 29. In consequence of the above the locking tooth .30 isdisconnected-- from the segment 27 whereupon lever26 is pressed upwardby the spring 37, and the compression of the. working rollers 1, 2, 3 isreleased.

In the modification of Fig. 4 the crank 17 is connected in the usual-waywith the driving mechanism of the working rollers 1, 2, 3. Thecompression of these rollers is effected by means-of the known lever 26'pressing the cam 38 against the abutment or.

the new machine, as thereis inserted between" the lever26 and the frameof thema chine a brake device 39in theform of an air-buffer, oil-bufferor the like. Said brake device -per- 'mits of only a very slow releaseof compression ofthewor king rollers fora short in terval of time.Consequently during half of a complete revolution of the working roller3 only a practically imperceptiblerelease of compression of theworking'rollers takes place, which limited release is compensated for bythe neiitof the two" rotating cams 4.0 striking the lever 26. Thereforeduring the use of the machine the rollers are under compression; as theoperation of the machine ceases, the rotation of the cams 40 also ceasesthereby releasing the compression of the rollers 1, 2 and 3.

Furthermore, the new machine can be so constructed that the rollers canbe pressed against each other and the pressure can be released withoutany auxiliary device.

In the simplest way this is efiected by the modification shown in Figs.5 and 6. In said modification the soft main roller 1 is movablysupported between the driven roller 3 and the other roller 2. The roller1 is pulled upward by the spring 7 so that the center of the roller issomewhat above the central line of the rollers 2 and 3 when the pressureacting upon the rollers is released (Fig. 5). The distance between thetwo rollers and 3 is somewhat shorter than the diameter of the roller 1.

WVhen the roller 3 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the roller1 by mutual friction of the rollers is pulled into the space between therollers 2 and 3, whereby the rollers are compressed and the spring 7 isstretched (Fig. 6). When the rotation of the rollers ceases, thecompression of the rollers is automatically released by the action ofthe spring 7 and the elasticity of the rollers (Fig. 5).

The spring 7 may if desired be replaced by any other force, for instancea weight. By suitably arranging the rollers, a combination may beobtained wherein no additional force is necessary and the spring 7 isthen replaced by the weight of one or more of the rollers.

To attain said automatic release of pressure in machines in which thecentral line of the rollers forms a broken line, so that the centers ofsaid rollers are in a triangu' lar position, the addition of one or moreauxiliary rollers or disks or the like is required.

In the modifications of Figs. 13, the compression of the rollers isimmediately released not only when the operator takes his hand ofl thedriving crank, but also when this crank is rotated in the reversedirection. This however is not always desirable, because it is sometimesrequired by a stop when the rollers are again rotated in the normaldirection.

Of course, all modifications of the new machine can be driven by a motorinstead 01 by hand. In this case the machines are preferably arranged sothat the force which causes the release of compression of the rollersdoes not rotate the gear inserted between the motor and the rollers.

The automatic compression of the rollers can also be effected by afinger or trigger sliding on the letters to be copied, said finger ortrigger causing the release of compression, when the feeding of theletters is interrupted for an appreciable interval of time. When themachine is driven by an electric motor, said finger can also be used tocut oflf the current supply for the operation and, if desired, also forthe heating of the machine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis 1. A roller-copying machine comprising in combination a plurality ofrollers, means for driving same and means for automatically releasingthe compression of the rollers, when the driving force ceases.

2. A roller-copying machine comprising in combination a plurality ofrollers, means for driving same, and means for accumulating a part ofthe driving force, the latter means being so arranged that theaccumulated force causes an automatic release of the compression of therollers when the driving force ceases.

3. A roller-copying machine comprising in combination a plurality ofrollers, means for driving same, and a spring tensioned by the drivingmeans, said spring causing an automatic release of the compression ofthe rollers when the driving force ceases.

4. A roller-copying machine comprising in combination a plurality ofrollers, means for driving and pressing same against each other by themovement of said driving means, means for accumulating a part of thedriving force, the latter means being so arranged that the accumulatedforce causes an automatic release of the compression of the rollers whenthe driving force ceases.

5. A roller-copying machine comprising in combination a plurality ofrollers, means for driving and pressing same against each other by themovement of said driving means, a spring tensioned by said driving I incombination a plurality of rollers, a

roller in-contaot with the aforesaid rollers adapted to be bodilydisplaced thereby so that its-weight will become operative to it releasethe compression of .the' rollers when 7 the ma'chineis stopped. or r Inwitness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the'pre'sence of twowitnesses. EDMUND LIGHTENSTEIN, Witnesses;v i HENRY HAsrmg- ARTHURSoHRoEDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each; byaddressingthe Gomxni ssioner of Patents;

Washington, D. 0.?" 7 i

